Observations of heating along intermittent structures in the inner heliosphere from PSP data

TL;DR

This study uses Parker Solar Probe data to show that small-scale intermittent magnetic structures in the solar wind are associated with increased proton temperatures, indicating localized heating likely driven by turbulence.

Contribution

It demonstrates a clear correlation between intermittent magnetic structures and proton heating in the inner heliosphere using PVI analysis on PSP data.

Findings

High-PVI events have higher median temperatures.

Intermittent structures are linked to localized heating.

Heating is associated with nonlinear turbulent cascade.

Abstract

The solar wind proton temperature at 1-au has been found to be correlated with small-scale intermittent magnetic structures, i.e., regions with enhanced temperature are associated with coherent structures such as current sheets. Using Parker Solar Probe data from the first encounter, we study this association using measurements of radial proton temperature, employing the Partial Variance of Increments (PVI) technique to identify intermittent magnetic structures. We observe that the probability density functions of high-PVI events have higher median temperatures than those with lower PVI, The regions in space where PVI peaks were also locations that had enhanced temperatures when compared with similar regions suggesting a heating mechanism in the young solar wind that is associated with intermittency developed by a nonlinear turbulent cascade.n the immediate vicinity.